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Heritage in Hand: A Traditional Arts Week


A week of Appalachian craft, taught by the people who still do it by hand — stained glass, blacksmithing, wild basketry, and natural dye, in small classes led by working artists and educators

Heritage in Hand 2026 — Pine Mountain Settlement School
DatesSept 14–18, 2026
DetailsAll meals are included in base price. Lodging price ranges from $20-$50 total for the entirety of your chosen workshop.
Check-inThe Day Before Instuction Begins, 4–6 PM. Dinner provided at 6

Week at a glance

Instructional days per workshop
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Natural Dyes
Adv. Stained Glass
Beg. Stained Glass
Wild Basketry
Blacksmithing

Quilting with Natural Dyes from the Garden

Jessamine Michler — Natural Dyes
Thu – Fri Cap: 12

Join Jessamine Michler for a two-day workshop at Pine Mountain Settlement School. Together we'll harvest flowers from the garden to dye fabric, then sew pinwheel quilt blocks from what we've colored by hand.

Participants don't need to bring any materials — everything is provided.

About the instructor

Jessamine Michler is a textile artist, educator, and curator of sustainable art practices. Her work with plant-dyed textiles explores how growing and harvesting materials for contemporary art and craft provides a unique place-based color palette, while connecting us to landscape, agricultural heritage, and community.

@cultivatingcolors

Approximate itinerary

Thursday
9 AM – 12 PMHarvest flowers in the garden and prepare dye pots (Draper)
1 – 3 PMDye the fabric and hang it to dry overnight (Draper)
Friday
9 AM – 12 PMSew quilt blocks (Sewing Room, Draper)
1 – 3 PMFinish quilt blocks (Sewing Room, Draper)

Advanced Stained Glass

Margo Marquette — Copper Foil Overlay
Thu – Fri Cap: 8

An intensive two-day dive into the copper foil overlay technique, from a test piece and simple ornament through to a finished panel — cutting, grinding, foiling, wiring, and soldering under close instruction.

About the instructor

Margo Marquette has been creating stained glass panels for the past 15 years in Nicholasville, KY. She holds a BS in Industrial Arts from Berea College and an MEd in Technology Education from Ball State University. Her primary medium is stained glass with openwork copper foil overlay — early work drew on traditional folk songs and fairy tales, while her recent panels portray her own stories, often interweaving fossils, shells, and agates. Through her work, Margo seeks to evoke emotion, spark curiosity, and transport viewers into a world of imagination.

margodmarquettestainedglass.com @marquette_stained_glass Facebook

Approximate itinerary

Thursday
9 AM – 12 PMIntro to copper foil overlay: scrap test, then ornament piece — open-overlay best practices (Draper Classroom)
1 – 3 PMSoldering and wire practice on test & ornament piece (Draper Classroom)
3 – 6 PMBegin the larger piece (Draper Classroom)
7 – 9 PMOptional work time / free time
Friday
9 AM – 12 PMPrep final project (Draper Classroom)
1 – 3 PMFinish project — early departure available for those traveling (Draper Classroom)
3 – 6 PMFinal solder and clean-up

Beginner Stained Glass

Tristan Bray
Tue – Wed Cap: 8

Learn the fundamentals of stained glass from the ground up: reading a pattern, cutting and grinding glass, foiling your cut pieces, and soldering them into a finished piece. Choose one of three simple patterns to build your skills around.

All materials are provided, included in the cost of the workshop.

About the instructor

Tristan Bray is the Appalachian Craft and Culture Coordinator at Pine Mountain Settlement School. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in Appalachian Studies, and has studied drawing, stained glass, and woodworking at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Tristan has taught every age group, from elementary students to adults, and currently teaches traditional and new-age Appalachian crafts including corn shuck crafts, block printing, weaving, and stained glass.

Approximate itinerary

Tuesday
9 AM – 12 PMIntroduction to stained glass — how to use a pattern
1 – 3 PMCut and grind glass
3 – 6 PMFinish grinding, clean and foil glass
7 – 9 PMOptional work time if behind
Wednesday
9 AM – 12 PMStart soldering glass
1 – 3 PMContinue soldering glass
3 – 6 PMExtra time if needed

Wild Basketry

Jeff Gottlieb
Tue – Fri Cap: 12

Learn to make five to six baskets in five different styles, built mostly from wild-collected invasive plants. Along the way, we'll explore plant identification and biology and talk through invasive species ecology — you'll leave with a working knowledge of basket construction you can keep using at home.

About the instructor

Jeffrey Gottlieb, MS in Biology, has worked as a naturalist, outdoor educator, and primitive skills instructor for more than 40 years, and as a permaculturist and homesteader for 13. He works with school groups, nature centers, museums, scout troops, colleges, and summer camps; builds full-sized wigwams and longhouses; and replicates primitive tools and artifacts for display. His special interests include fiber arts, flintknapping, basketry, edible and utilitarian plants, and nature awareness. He travels widely across the Eastern U.S. teaching at rendezvous, gatherings, and historic fairs, and has written a how-to manual on building wigwams, an instructor's manual titled Teaching Primitive Skills to Children, and a book on natural fibers and ropemaking called Fibers of Life.

theprimitivenaturalist.com argskids@optonline.net

Approximate itinerary

Tuesday – Friday
9 AM – 4 PMFull instructional days

Blacksmithing

Jonathan Hansel
Tue – Wed Cap: 6 Beginner friendly

A two-day workshop covering core blacksmithing technique on propane forges. Participants walk away with one or more finished pieces. Some prior knowledge is appreciated but not required.

About the instructor

Jonathan Hansel is a self-taught blacksmith from Big Laurel, Kentucky, who first picked up the craft to make his own tools.

Approximate itinerary

Tuesday
9 AM – 12 PMIntroduction, safety, start on first project
1 – 6 PMWork time
Wednesday
9 AM – 12 PMWork time
1 – 3 PMFinish projects
3 – 6 PMExtra time if needed
Heritage in Hand

Pine Mountain Settlement School · September 14–18, 2026

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September 8

Home School Retreat
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September 14

Monday Night Arts Jam